CVM Faculty Research in Brief
Peggy Barr
Broadly stated, my research interests are:
- Veterinary diagnostics and vaccine development.
- Role that genetics (host and pathogen) play in the pathogenesis of and immune response to microbial infections (including in endangered species).
My current research projects include:
- Development of an Alzheimer's Disease vaccine using a woodchuck hepatitis core-based platform to present specific beta-amyloid epitopes
- Development of PCR assays for detection of rickettsia infections in animals and vectors
- Consulting work for a company that is developing several lateral-flow immunoassays for animal diseases
- Investigation of canine and feline parvovirus infections in Southern California
Joe Bertone
Dr. Bertone is interested in areas of pharmacology and physiology that directly affect clinical veterinary medicine and the health of horses. His preference is that these areas be investigated with spontaneous disease in clinical cases. He is also interested in developing new teaching methods for students that increase learning by practice without risk to animals.
Ellen Collisson
My laboratory concentrates on virology, viral pathogenesis and immune responses to viral infection and viral proteins. Our current research is focusing on avian influenza virus, the avian coronavirus and immune responses to these viruses in chickens. Expertise required for these studies include molecular virology, biochemistry, immunology, genetics and cellular biology, as well as basic virology.
Maisie Dawes
My laboratory interest focuses mainly on the role of innate immunity in the protection of the neonate against bacterial most recently viral infections as well, both in the context of passively transferred adaptive immunity as well as in failure of passive transfer models. Both ruminant and avian models have been utilized. Current research projects seek to investigate the effects of lactoferrin, a known immunomodulatory protein that is naturally expressed in milk, colostrum, and mucosal secretions across species, on the expression and ultimate production of inflammatory mediators and cytokines. Techniques that have and will be utilized in this endeavor include enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, polymerase chain reaction, colorimetric assays and western blotting.
Maria Fahie
My clinically oriented research interests broadly include topics in small animal veterinary soft tissue or orthopedic surgery. My education research interests include topics in problem-based learning and specifically teaching surgical clinical skills.
My current clinically oriented research includes:
- Prospective study of a surgical technique for immature dogs with patellar luxation
- Prospective study including use of the Dowling Spay retractor for ovariohysterectomy
- Multicenter retrospective study of dogs with biliary tract disease in conjunction with the Soft Tissue Veterinary Surgical Society
My current education research includes:
- Self-assessment techniques in problem-based learning
- Self-assessment specifically in surgical clinical skills training
Dr. Faramarzi's research focuses on:
- Prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in horses
- Biomechanics and gait analysis in horses and dogs
- Equine podiatry
- Exercise physiology in horses
Research wesbite: www.westernu.edu/faramarzi
- Antibiotic pharmacokinetics in koi
- Cataracts in sea lions
- Metastatic calcification in rays
Kris Irizarry
We are interested in understanding how genomes encode physiological processes. Towards that end we use a combination of bioinformatics and comparative genomics approaches to identify functionally important regions of the genome in a variety of species including chicken, dog, mouse, and human. Our current research projects include identifying genes underlying behavioral traits in both humans and dogs, identifying the genetic basis of innate immunity in different strains of chickens and developing genetic diagnostics for use in identifying dogs at risk for cancer. Our research combines computational approaches with genotyping and gene expression profiling.
- Papillomavirus vaccine development in Snow Leopards
- Reproduction in exotic animals
- Diseases of exotics especially non-human primates
- Survey on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of Western University pet owners regarding zoonotic diseases transmissible from dogs and cats.
- Blood parasites of shelter and owned dogs and cats in Southern California.
- KAP survey on hydatid disease in dog owners in the highlands of Peru.
- Imported cases of human hydatid disease cases in the USA and case management.
Linda Kidd
Dr. Kidd 's clinical and research interests include Rickettsioses and Anaplasmosis, immune-mediated diseases, endocrinology, sepsis, and disorders of hemostasis.
Suzie Kovacs
My research interests include:
- Veterinary education
- Impact of veterinary curriculum on student moral development
- Ethics education
- Diversity issues in the veterinary profession
- Public perception of veterinary profession
- Small animal welfare - animal maltreatment and the veterinarian's role
- Tissue perfusion and oxygenation monitoring devices
- Cardiovasoactive therapy
- Pain management
- Avian (poultry) flock health management, infectious diseases, and environmental health
- Bacterial colonization of the respiratory and intestinal tract of poultry with respect to pathogenesis (Pasteurella multocida) and pre-harvest food safety (E.coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter)
- Clinical avian medicine field trials to improve flock health and production
- Epidemiology of disease transmission at the domestic animal/wildlife interface
- Captive and free-ranging bear health monitoring
Jose Peralta
Jose Peralta is primarily interested in research on issues related to animal welfare:
- Validation of enrichment devices in different species (farm animals, laboratory animals, zoo animals, etc.)
- Effects of housing design on production and well-being
- Design of preventive treatment protocols for shelter animals
- Assessment of temperament and anxiety
- Methods to facilitate animal welfare education at different levels
Maria Pia Phillips
Using Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) as a model for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), we investigate the mechanisms of retrovirus induced neurologic disease. Recently, we have been concentrating on the roles of oxidative stress and apoptosis in a feline astrocyte cell culture. The effects of the virus on proapoptotic and antiapoptotic pathways as well as oxidative enzymes, antioxidative pathways, and levels of antioxidants are all currently being investigated. We study disease at the molecular level and generating new information that will benefit both cats and humans.
- Viral mRNA processing, Rev/RRE regulation
- Lentivirus Astrocyte Interactions
- FIV effects on the CNS
- Effects of Drugs of Abuse on Disease Progression
- Neurotoxicity/Oxidative Stress/Apoptosis
- Stem cells
- Vaccine Development
Josep Rutlant-Labeaga
My overall goal has been to develop an understanding of sperm transport in female genitalia and events related to fertilization for domestic livestock species. A better knowledge of the required processes involved in sperm physiology, such as epididymal maturation, sperm capacitation and tolerance to osmotic stress, necessary for fertilization can help us to answer unknown problems of infertility and to improve the methodology for male genome preservation. Currently in the lab we are studying sperm cytoskeleton damage related to new methods of sperm cryopreservation as well as the beneficial effects of disaccharides in sperm cell preservation.
Miguel Saggese
My research interests include:
- Avian medicine and surgery
- Avian infectious diseases
- Avian ecology and conservation
- Raptors biomedicine and conservation
- Raptor migration
- Veterinary microbiology (mycobacteriology, micology, virology)
- Molecular epidemiology of avian infectious diseases
- Raptor rehabilitation and orthopedic surgery
- Other wildlife diseases
- Impact of diseases on wild birds populations
- Conservation medicine
Ron Terra
I am starting on a systematic review of the literature on two topics:
- The effect of days open on profitability of dairy cattle of differing milk production capabilities
- The effect of the somatic cell count on milk production
I will then use these as springboards into my analysis of DC305 records to "revisit" these two issues which would be two research projects that I plan on working on over the course of the next year.
Victoria Voith
My Research Interests:
- Investigating agreement of dog breed identification among dog professionals, owners, and DNA analysis.
- Investigating what breeds owners think their dogs are - and why.
- Tabulation of stereotypes in stalled pleasure horses in the Los Angeles area.
- Surveys of owners regarding beliefs about and interactions with their pet cats.
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